Layla's eyes fluttered open as her alarm went off. It was 4am. Eric had set it a few hours ago, right after they had the most incredible sex of Layla's life. He had one arm thrown over her waist and was pressed up against her back. She turned in his arms to face him. He slept like the dead...literally. The blonde hair was tousled and his face looked angelic in his sleep, without a mocking smile or a sarcastic glance. The man looked damn near innocent. Layla smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Eric?" she whispered. The viking made a small noise of distaste at being woken and pulled her tighter to him.

"Eric, it's time for you to wake up. It'll be dawn soon." Layla reminded him, rubbing her hand from his shoulder to his elbow and back again, gently trying to stir him.

"I suppose you're right." he replied, still keeping his eyes closed. Layla stretched her arms and disentangled herself from Eric as she climbed out of bed, taking the sheet with her and leaving him naked, lying on his stomach in the middle of her bed. God, he had a great ass.

"Eric! Out of bed!" she said again, slapping his butt for emphasis. Quick as lightening Eric sat up, grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her underneath of him for a third, no wait, fourth time that night.

"You should come with me." he purred into her ear. Layla frowned.

"Hm. Me. You. A coffin. Thanks, but no thanks. Besides, I really need to check up on Sookie and see if all this maynad business was handled." Layla told him. Eric sighed and dropped his head into her shoulder.

"Very well." he said, pushing himself off the bed and putting his pants back on. He glanced over his shoulder at Layla, her dark waves tangled and make-up ever so slightly smudged under her eyes which were smiling at him as he dressed. She sat with one foot on the floor and the other tucked beneath her, wrapped in the black bed sheet like a little Queen. For a moment he felt human...and that was not okay.

He dressed quickly and made to walk out but Layla's voice stopped him.

"Hey!" she called out. Eric turned to look at her, keeping his face impassive. Layla stood and walked over to him.

"I don't know how you Vampires do things, but when you spend the whole night having sex with someone, it's common courtesy to at least give them a kiss goodbye." she told him flatly. The corners of Eric's mouth quirked up in a smile and he ducked his head to deliver a slow, lazy kiss that was all giving and no taking.

"Goodbye, min söta." he said before he disappeared.

The next morning, Merlotte's seemed to be everyone's sanctuary. Layla woke up and had drove by Sookie's only to see a load of rubbish and trash in the yard but no car. Th parking lot at Merlotte's had been packed. Walking in, Layla grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered herself a drink. From the looks of things, everything was right in Bon Temps. Layla looked over and saw Arlene with Coby and Lisa. Good, at least Sam had taken care of that.

"Hey, it's Layla right?" said a pretty black girl behind the bar.

"Yeah."

"I'm Tara." she said. Layla vaguely remembered Sookie mentioning a Tara as her best friend or something like that.

"Nice to meet you." Layla said sipping her drink. She couldn't help but overhear some of the ridiculous theories people were coming up with. Gas leaks, Aliens, and lord knows what else. Maybe it was a good thing no one knew though. People could barely handle Vampires. How would they react if they found out everything they thought was myth was actually real. For that matter, exactly just how much of it WAS real?

Sookie walked by and noticed the brunette.

"Hey you! Where'd you go the other day?" the blonde asked, leaning against the bar.

"I met up with Sam and Andy, then Andy and Jason went off so Sam and I stuck with Arlene's kids, then we went to visit Eric, so I left the kids with Sam and Eric and I went to see the Queen, then we went back to my place. Judging by the looks of things you didn't really need my help after all." Layla explained quickly. Sookie frowned.

"Don't try to read my mind, Sook." Layla warned.

"I wasn't, I was just...did you say WE went back to my place. As in both you AND Eric." Sookie asked, looking both worried and intrigued.

"Yeah, so?"

"Sookie, we need those orders!" Sam called, giving Layla a nice reason to stop talking. She took another sip of her drinka nd noticed the cook, Lafayette, watching her.

"What?" she asked.

"Hooker, you in a mess of trouble. I don't care how pretty that Vampire is, you'd best stay away if you want to survive." he told her. Layla's eyes widened.

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"Shit, you weren't exactly whisperin', and besides if you're dumb enough to sleep with Eric fuckin' Northman than you need someone eavesdroppin' and tellin' you to knock it off. Now baby girl, you're new here and I'm not tryin to get on your bad side, but after last night I don't want no more drama up around here. Why don't you just start fuckin' Sam or Jason, shit try em' both. Just not Eric." he old her, before slipping back into the kitchen to get Jane Boathouse her jambalaya. Layla sat there, a little stunned. She wasn't doing anything wrong. She'd slept with Eric. So what? It was no one else's business.

A cute, petite woman walked in. "I'm lookin' for Sookie Stackhouse."

"She's in the back." Layla said, directing the woman, who was holding a package, to the back of the restaurant.

Eric drummed his fingers against the top of his desk. The newest dancer he had hired certainly appeared...promising, but he couldn't help his thoughts returning to Layla. She had looked so trusting last night when he'd left, looking up at him with those big amber eyes.

"This is a problem." he muttered to himself.

"What is?" Yvetta asked, appearing like smoke in the doorway. Eric looked her up and down, appraising her outfit, or rather her lack of one. He needed a distraction. He needed an escape. He need to get rid of these ridiculously human emotions he was feeling.